


Blessing and a Curse

by JoyouslyNeonLeon



Category: DCU (Comics)
Genre: Asexual Character, Asexual Relationship, Background Poly, Empathy, F/M, Feelings, Male-Female Friendship, Meta human, Metahumans, Multi, Rating May Change, Stalking, Telekinesis, This borrows from the Arrowverse a tad, What's a timeline? I don't follow those, Work In Progress, Work in progress doesn't even begin to cut it, bear with me guys, not a bunch for now
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-04-06
Updated: 2017-04-06
Packaged: 2018-10-15 08:56:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,083
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10553584
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/JoyouslyNeonLeon/pseuds/JoyouslyNeonLeon
Summary: Jason meets a girl at a community center, it's all downhill from there.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Alternate summary for this would be: "In which Jason meets a meta, stalks said meta, then realizes she's actually rather sweet. You know in true comic book fashion."
> 
> A few months back I promised that I would make a Jason Todd fanfic that centered around him dating an asexual metahuman. I figured since I said I would and I had a bajillion ideas rolling around up in my noggin, that I'd actually sit down and write it. 
> 
> I am asexual, the female character depicted is asexual and struggles to figure out what she is. However, she knows that she is not straight. She is very much structured around experiences that a few others, and myself have had, and I'm constantly up for hearing experiences. 
> 
> Without any further ado (and before I write another book in the notes section) I hope you enjoy it!

Jason pulls into the parking lot on the outskirts of downtown Gotham with a grumble and a deep, resonating sigh. He didn't get a lot of sleep the night before—hasn’t gotten a lot of sleep at all the last few weeks, if he's being honest. The bags under his eyes are deep and bruise colored, his hair wild looking, and at this point he has a general look that’s a warning sign to everyone that he was not in the mood to interact with anyone.

Jason doesn't know why ‘the father figure who must not be named,’ insisted on putting a child like Damian in a summer camp, the boy could outperform people years older than him, and frankly didn't need the supervision. He also doesn't know why Dick and Steph supported the motion, but then somehow decided that neither of them could pick the little brat up today. Or, why no one takes into account that although Damian is ten, he is fully capable of walking back to the manor by himself. Because, even though Jason is confident in his skills, he remembers that even at that age he didn't have the skill to take down scores of grown men like Damian does. 

He mostly doesn't understand why he has to be the pick up Damian from the center.

The manor is only an hour’s walk away. True, appearances must be upheld and the Wayne heir can’t be seen walking around all willy nilly, but Damian is a Robin, and he is more than capable of walking a few blocks without being kidnapped. Besides, if this is some roundabout scheme by Dick to get Jason to talk to ‘he who must not be named,’ or for him to bond with his youngest sibling, then he is both far too optimistic for his own good and resoundingly stupid. 

Plus, it was only noon, so god fucking help him if this wasn’t a quick poke around and he actually had to converse with people. The Center is well made, with its manicured lawn, and high walls, almost too picturesque and out of place in a city like Gotham. The sign is bright blue and reads ‘Great Bay Community Center,’ in bold yet cheery font, as parents and assistants in suits walked about with children in bright green t-shirts. 

This place feels like it belongs in Metropolis, or Central City, two places that would love the new addition. In fact it’s so peppy, that Jason feels completely out of place, a mere smudge of a person in comparison to all this finely tuned, manicured and maintained setting. He readjusts his gun under his shirt, thinking about leaving it in the car, before he clambers out of it and into the oppressive heat of another grey summer day. 

It’s hot, muggy in a way that makes one breathe a bit harder, perspiration breaking out across his forehead and making his shirt stick to his back, turning his jacket into an oven. The heat was rising off the dark pavement in waves, hot enough to fry an egg. 

He refused to wear a t-shirt without his jacket anymore, the scars on his body--while not as plentiful as they could have been--still show. He isn't self conscious about them, despite what Dick seems to think, but while he doesn't usually care, he also doesn't want to cause too much of a scene either. 

He tugs his jacket sleeves down a few times, readjusts the collar and steps into the building, still cooking under all that leather. He keenly surveys a sea of green clad children flowing from one room to another; adults leading the way as tiny legs try to catch up, tripping over untied shoelaces and dragging over large lunchboxes.

It's noon, which would explain why he sees Damian holding resolutely to his dark blue lunch box with little bat symbols and wearing a hideous lime green shirt with “Planet Fun!” scrawled across the chest in rainbow. Jason snorts, not even bothering to hide it behind his hand, Damian had to wear that all summer? Dick has an awful sense of humor, or maybe just awful ideas in general.

“Excuse me; are you here to pick up Damian?” Comes a deep feminine, voice from behind Damian. The woman—girl?—stands around 5’8 or 9, dark skinned, with a mop of dark and tightly curled hair pulled back from her face to show off a pair of thick glasses, covering her large brown eyes. She doesn't look like much, kind of gangly in her uniform, looking rather geeky and babyish, almost to a point where he thinks she could still be in high school.

“No, I'm a family friend,” he says, voice sounding disdainful as he sizes her up. He pegs her as around maybe 16 years old, but given the air about her, he could be wrong. It's hard to tell because of how wide and round her eyes are. She seems harmless, and looks as though she could barely lift a paperback book, let alone look after several dozen screaming kids; but he knows looks can be deceiving.

He does look suspiciously healthy for a dead person after all.

“Jason,” he says after a bit of silence, offering his hand for her to shake and a tired roguish grin; trying to make a good first impression. One of her coworkers walks by and eyes him, brows raised as her mouth screws up unattractively, her fingernails clacking against a clipboard. The curly haired counselor, though she was facing away from the other, stood straighter, shaking his hand and smiling apologetically as if she could see her coworker without having to turn around. She has a firm grip, kind eyes, and a soft smile; Jason decides she's cute, if nothing else.

“December,” she supplies, matching his grip. They hold it for longer than was strictly necessary, eyes locked, and reading each other before Damian makes a disgruntled noise, causing them both to look down then away. She hastily releases his hand and takes a step back.

“I just need to see an ID first,” she chirps at him, holding up a binder with a weak smile.

Jason hands over the fake id with barely a glance, instead fixing on Damian.

“I know that look,” Jason says, ignoring the daggers Damian is sending his way, his grin positively shit eating now as the smaller boy’s scowl deepens into the, ‘father’s going to be upset with me’ look. It’s adorable, even on Damian and he can't help but laugh a bit smugly.

“What'd you do little D?”

And what follows is not what he was actually expecting. 

“You did what?” Jason blinks dumbly down at Damian, actually surprised. Sitting across from December, with her dinky desk in her cramped office, he feels out of place. Contrary to popular belief, Jason was excellent in school and wasn’t sent to the principal’s office once, but if he were that type of kid, he imagines this is what it feels like. Only difference here is he isn’t disappointed in anyway, he has no problem with Damian hitting anyone. Dick had been making some real headway with Damian the last few weeks and he expected a little more from the youngest Wayne kid.

“Tt. I punched him,” Damian supplied with a shrug, “he deserved it.” The twist of his mouth screamed disgust, so the kid must have said something truly offensive for Damian to lash out. He had the patience of a saint now thanks to Dick, and wouldn't hit someone over something petty. He should have much better self-control by now, or at least he did when it came to civilians at any rate.

Jason schools his face. If Damian gets kicked out, Dick will have a field day and Jason will get a new headache, so what he doesn’t need is this counselor taking one look at his face (and the prideful smile that he can feel forming on his face) and kick the demon spawn out for good. He tries to look anywhere but December, but has a hard time doing so. 

Her office was small.

“Yes,” December says sardonically, rolling her eyes, “Damian hit another camper in the mouth,” she admonishes, giving Jason a pointed look. She doesn't seem to fazed though, having probably had this talk with parents before. She does look slightly put out by the whole thing, though.

 

“Off the record,” she says, clearing her throat, “I don’t blame Damian; the other child did start it,” she pauses as if she were going to add more before thinking better of it, “but that does not mean that you were allowed to hit him back Damian.” 

Damian crosses his arms, face ruddy. He offers nothing more other than a simple huff, looking every bit his age. But Jason doesn't quite get the issue. Damian isn’t in trouble, December doesn’t seem as if she’s kicking him out the program so in his mind the problem was solved. In fact, December doesn't look like she wants to punish Damian at all. 

“The head counselor said that since the other camper started it Damian is fine, however, we want to show the rest of the kids that violence cannot be tolerated under any circumstances,” she says, twisting a tightly curled lock between her thumb and forefinger and worrying her bottom lip. She slides a disciplinary form across her desk, “so we have to send him home early today.” 

Jason grabs the form but doesn't look at it, “okay, that's fine, anything else?” 

Her smile comes back with a vengeance, her toothy grin wide and bright, and she shakes her head no, “just get Mister Wayne to sign that and everything will be right as rain.”

Jason stands, beckoning Damian up as he goes. He's done here, and he's fulfilled his brotherly duties for at least a few months, so hopefully he won't end up back here again any time soon. He gets out the door, and holds it for Damian and December before holding out his hand.

“Oh!” She says, taking his hand again “it was nice meeting you too Mr. Todd, Dick talks about you all the time so I'm glad to finally have face for the name.”

“‘Dick?’” 

She pauses, then continues on less cheerfully, “…Mister Grayson comes by most days around lunch time to make sure Damian’s doing alright,” she shrugs, “he's mentioned you a few times.”

“Great,” Jason says sarcastically, because honestly that figures; Dick absolutely cannot resist a pretty girl who likes kids. It's practically in his wiring and the tiny smile December has is about as telling as it can be. Dick has hit on her, possibly multiple times.

December nods once, side-stepping a group of children as they run down the hall without looking. She calls out to them in a kind voice to walk, which they all immediately obey, stopping then taking their time getting down the hall.

“Kids…” she sighs gives him a meaningful look, “what can you do?” 

She walks them both back up to the front desk, before patting Damian on the back, “I hope you have a lovely weekend, Damian. You too Mr. Todd, make sure this one stays out of trouble alright?”

Jason nods, and while he doesn't mention it, he's fairly certain Damian blushes a bit at her goodbye, he even nods at her, which is clearly code for ‘I don't think you're entirely stupid and pointless,’ so that means this counselor must be well liked. The counselor smiles again and walks away, turning and immediately immersing herself in the conversation two girls at the front desk are having about some kids show, and is instantly swept up in the enthusiasm of it.

Jason takes Damian to his cubby, trying not to laugh at the fact that Damian has a cubby, and watches as several kids give him a wide berth. While it’s funny to see Damian have something so normal, his violent outburst clearly left an impression, and no one wants to get too close now. They see December once more before heading out, but she's busy so she just waves as she passes them by, still sunny.

He drops Damian off at the manor that afternoon with barely a second thought spared for the counselor. He won’t see her again, he probably won’t have to even pick Damian up again, it was all a fluke.  
Until of course he was dragged back.

**Author's Note:**

> So there you go! Next chapter will be longer I promise. If you catch any typos I want to straight up say that my Beta's (D and T, my lovely friends) covered everything, debated and then looked over it again before they gave me the go ahead. I then completely restructured without their input and published this without a beta to catch my mistakes. Any and all typos are completely my own because I make bad decisions while running on next to no sleep and anxiety.
> 
> Hope you enjoy! If you want to annoy me, or if you're curious about when the next update is, my twitter is @BerraSmerra, and my tumblr is the same as my username here, @joyouslyneonleon. Hit me up if you want to know anything! Trust me, bugging me will get them out faster and helps me keep motivation, so swing on by if you want.
> 
> Criticism is always welcome and feedback even more so!
> 
> Thanks for reading!


End file.
